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non-poisonous climbers for air pollution
Lucy Harbor
Posts: 1
in Plants
I'm helping a children's hospital which is located in a very polluted area to green the fence between their hospital school playground and street. There is not enough room to plant any trees, and there are some fixed planters already around the perimeter which are quite narrow, so they wouldn't have enough room for a tree.
I would like to plant some climbers that can help to block (and hopefully absorb) some of the air pollution, and look nice at the same time. I had originally thought we could use ivy, which is well-known to be good at absorbing air pollution particles. But it can be poisonous and poisonous is out of the question.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Posts
While I would usually say that ivy isn't poisonous enough to matter (think of using it in the home for Christmas decorations) I know that many sick children can have heightened sensitivity to allergens etc, so I agree, ivy is out.
Roses aren't toxic, but of course most of them have thorns - will the children be playing close to the fence?
The golden hop (humulus aurea) would grow there and aren't toxic - but the stems and leaves can be a little bristly so could cause a problem for sensitive skin if they came in contact.
The climbing nasturtium would be great, but it's an annual so would only be there in the summer.
Another thought is a grape vine.
I'll keep my thinking hat on.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Jasminum officinalis is tough, vigorous [so will cover the fence quick], but not ultra vigorous like Clematis montana of Russian vine, and in summer has small white flowers with a lovely scent. I have no idea how good at absorbing pollution it is but it has quite a lot of foliage [some climbers are sparsely foliaged].